Chapter Text
Sungho sighed in despair as Jaehyun kicked him under the table for the nth time. Dongmin and Sanghyeok were sitting across from them, staring with wide eyes, awaiting for Sungho's answer, and Sungho was regretting the life choices that led him to that exact moment.
The whole mess started on a normal day. Sungho was standing by the big fig tree near his building on campus, waiting for Dongmin to finish his classes so they could go home together. The sun would be setting soon, which meant it wouldn't be long before Dongmin was free. He was passing time by looking through his twitter feed when suddenly a hand grabbed his arm. Sungho jumped, startled, and came face to face with none other than Myung Jaehyun.
Sungho's first reaction was surprise. He and Jaehyun were in the same group of friends and shared a few classes, so they saw each other often, but their relationship was based on disdainful stares and dirty looks. Sungho wasn't even sure why he didn't like Jaehyun - or why the boy didn't like him -, but the fact was that they had never gotten along, having practically hated each other from the moment they first met. Truth was Sungho thought Jaehyun was always trying too hard to get people to like him, because no one was that cheery all the time, and he just didn't like the boy. And he knew it was mutual. And yet, here Jaehyun was, holding onto Sungho's arm with a tight grip, and a panicked expression. That expression was gone in a second, though, replaced by something Sungho thought he would never see on Jaehyun's face directed at him. A big, loving smile.
"Hey, babe. Did you wait for long?"
If Sungho was surprised before, now he was astounded. He knew he must look ridiculous, eyes wide, staring at Jaehyun, and he barely noticed the way the boy's voice shook. Jaehyun's smile faltered for a second, and Sungho saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes, but Jaehyun quickly forced the smile back on his lips, pulling Sungho closer. What. The. Fuck?
"Jaehyun, what the-"
"Yah, Myung Jaehyun, don't think you can run… oh. Who is this?"
The person who had spoken was a big muscly guy who looked like the kind of person Sungho would go out of his way to avoid. He was smirking, walking towards Sungho and Jaehyun with his arms crossed, and If Jaehyun hadn't been holding onto him, Sungho would already be on the other side of campus. As it was, he stayed still, watching the guy approach them.
"I told you, Wonsik," said Jaehyun. "This is my boyfriend."
What the fuck?
The guy, Wonsik, snorted with contempt. "Yeah, sure. Who are you, pretty boy?"
It took Sungho a moment to notice the guy was talking to him. When his mind caught up, Sungho took a few seconds to analyze the situation. Jaehyun was gripping his wrist so hard it was hurting. He also looked pale and anxious, and he was trying to make himself look small, and to hide behind Sungho. It wasn't obvious, but Sungho had hung out with the boy enough times to know. No matter what, Jaehyun was clearly scared of this guy. And he had called Sungho his boyfriend. So.
"You heard him. I'm his boyfriend. May I ask who you are?"
Sungho could feel Jaehyun's whole body tensing up and then relaxing slightly as Sungho spoke. He glanced at the boy for a moment and saw relief and surprise on Jaehyun's face.
"I'm someone who doesn't believe for a second this little lie you're telling. Did Jaehyun pay you to be his boyfriend? Did he beg?" He turned to face Jaehyun, face contorted in a bizarre expression of amusement and disgust that made Sungho's stomach churn. "Myung Jaehyun, I know you're still in love with me. Why are you lying, doll? Just come with me and let's have some fun."
Next to Sungho, Jaehyun shuddered.
"Please leave, Wonsik. Sungho and I have a date today."
It sounded so weak that Sungho had the urge to slide his hand down to hold Jaehyun's. It was a very weird thought to have, but Sungho knew it was just because Jaehyun was extremely distressed, and Sungho wasn't a monster who enjoyed seeing people suffering. No matter how much he hated them.
"We sure do, and actually you're making us late. So please excuse us," said Sungho, sounding more brave than he felt.
He then did slide his hands down, holding onto Jaehyun's own. He briefly noticed the boy was shaking, and it made Sungho pity him. But there was no time to dwell on that. Instead, Sungho pulled on Jaehyun's hand, leading the boy away from the other guy.
He only let go when they were far away from the building, near a water fountain where students usually hung out. Figuring they were probably far enough, Sungho finally stopped and turned to face Jaehyun. The boy was looking down, his hair falling on his face and covering his eyes, and his shoulders were hunched as if he was carrying something heavy on them.
"Ok. Care to explain what was all of that back there?"
Jaehyun sighed and looked up. He looked like he might start crying at any second, and the thought made Sungho panic. He had no idea what he would do if Jaehyun started crying right now. Luckily, the boy didn't. Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck and started talking.
"I'm sorry. Thanks for… for going along with the lie."
There were a million things Sungho wanted to say. He wanted to tell Jaehyun to not involve him in his mess, to ask Jaehyun why him, of all people, among other things. Instead, he asked: "who the hell was that guy, Jaehyun?"
"My ex," replied the boy, and Sungho allowed himself a brief moment of surprise, because he had known Jaehyun for two years and yet had no idea he had ever dated, much less that he had dated a guy.
"Ok. And what was that all about?"
Sungho could make some guesses about the situation, of course, but he wanted to hear it from Jaehyun. He doubted it was the case, but he could be wrong about the whole thing. Jaehyun sighed and sat down on a bench. Sungho sat next to him.
"He just… he asked to get back together. But I don't want to. He didn't want to leave me alone, though, so I told him I was dating someone else. He didn't believe me. So I tried to prove it to him."
Sungho hummed. He had been right on his assumptions, then.
"And you chose me because…?"
Jaehyun groaned, and Sungho noticed a slight red tint on his cheeks. He had never seen Jaehyun blushing before.
"Dude, I didn't choose you. Trust me, there are many other people I'd rather have gone to. You just… were there. I needed someone quickly, and between going up to a complete stranger and going to you, you seemed like a more reasonable option."
So Sungho was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He would never wait for Dongmin again.
"Ok," he said.
And then it was silent. And it was awkward as fuck. They were sitting side by side, and Sungho was finally digesting the things that had just happened. He had told some guy that Jaehyun was his boyfriend. He had held Jaehyun's hand. He had… fuck, he had completely forgotten Dongmin. Sungho got up with a jump.
"Well, it was a displeasure being your fake boyfriend, but now I gotta go. How about we forget this ever happened and never mention it to anyone?"
Jaehyun nodded from the bench, looking up at Sungho. Then he looked away and mumbled out an 'and thank you' that made Sungho laugh.
"You're welcome, princess. But please don't do it again. Bye."
And he left.